1998 XL 1200 - Nozzle / Reverse Gate Question

A ski I acquired had 2 issues in the nozzle / reverse gate area.

#1 - There's no reverse gate. It was removed from the ski. The shift cable is cut @ the battery compartment and the hull hole filled w/ caulk. The nozzle deflector is also void of any reverse gate hardware.

Question is: Is a reverse gate necessary on this ski? My bud told me that it's pretty useful for operations and he can clear his jet sometimes with it.

Should I bother replacing it, or can I use my feet & legs to get by?

#2 - The nozzle deflector was pretty loose. The bottom hole where it bolts to the jet unit was elongated. I suspect it hit something, which also probably destroyed the reverse gate. There's an 1/8" or more space around the lower mounting bolt's collar because of this elongation. Leaves a decent amount of play @ the nozzle.

Few questions: Is this a repairable item, or does this always = get a new nozzle deflector. The replacement is 65R-R1313-01-00 @ about $120. Are there alternatives that I should be looking for?

#1 - There's no reverse gate. It was removed from the ski. The shift cable is cut @ the battery compartment and the hull hole filled w/ caulk. The nozzle deflector is also void of any reverse gate hardware.

Question is: Is a reverse gate necessary on this ski? My bud told me that it's pretty useful for operations and he can clear his jet sometimes with it.

Should I bother replacing it, or can I use my feet & legs to get by?

#2 - The nozzle deflector was pretty loose. The bottom hole where it bolts to the jet unit was elongated. I suspect it hit something, which also probably destroyed the reverse gate. There's an 1/8" or more space around the lower mounting bolt's collar because of this elongation. Leaves a decent amount of play @ the nozzle.

Few questions: Is this a repairable item, or does this always = get a new nozzle deflector. The replacement is 65R-R1313-01-00 @ about $120. Are there alternatives that I should be looking for?

Thanks!

Why $120.00? The retail $$$ is about $39.00 and are on the internet at less than $30.00...

Bill

edit: I was wrong....I thought it was the same as my GPR....$120.00 is the price for your part